DataStreme
ECS has major support
from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to conduct a
Teacher
Enhancement Project with a strong leadership component. An innovative
Internet-based distance-learning course directed towards middle-school
teachers, but open to all K-12 teachers, has been developed and is
being
implemented nationwide. The course, DataStreme Earth's
Climate System
(ECS), incorporates inquiry-based instructional strategies
and a holistic
concept of Earth from oceanic, atmospheric and terrestrial climate and
problem-focused perspectives. It is designed after the other highly
successful
DataStreme distance-learning courses.

The ECS course is the initial step in the training of
ECS Resource Teachers
is their participation in the ECS distance-learning course. The 13-week
course
is offered twice a year to selected participants. It investigates the
mass and
energy flows associated with the global climate system, and with
related issues
through the use of electronically transmitted environmental data and
learning
materials combined with Text readings and Investigations Manual
activities and
Current Climate Studies online investigations. Teachers will become
their
school's representative as part of a major national science education
program
conducted by the American Meteorological Society.

Who can participate in
DS-ECS?
The course is directed towards middle-school teachers, but open to all
K-12
teachers, who live in an area served by a LIT. Teachers of any subject
who have
an interest in promoting the teaching of Earth Science across the
curriculum
may apply. Applications are sought from persons who can demonstrate
potential
for leadership as resource teachers. They must be willing to act as
resource
persons for other teachers and as advocates for promoting the use of
electronically-delivered environmental data in schools.

Teachers who are members of groups traditionally
underrepresented in the
sciences, or teachers who are teaching in schools with large numbers of
students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences,
are
especially urged to apply.

The DataStreme ECS course is offered through DataStreme
ECS Local Implementation Teams (LITs) that are located around the
country. LITs, typically composed of three members, coordinate the
selection and delivery of the course to approximately eight teacher
participants each semester. Each team advertises the local course
availability, recruits and selects participants, arranges and holds
local meetings, individually mentors participants on course
understandings and activities, provides participant evaluations, and
assists in developing Resource Teacher action plans. Each LIT is
composed of at least one master precollege teacher and most include one
professional meteorologist, hydrologist, oceanographer or environmental
scientist.

DataStreme Central, located at the AMS
Education Office, is a team that
develops instructional materials, provides logistical support to the
LITs,
conducts the credit-bearing course in which most DataStreme ECS
participants
enroll, and administers the overall project.

What equipment do I need for
DataStreme ECS?
You will need a PC or Mac computer, printer, and an Internet connection
with
browsing capability (such as Microsoft Explorer, Firefox, Safari or
Opera
software). If you are reading this on-screen with your own equipment
and you
can print it out, you are essentially ready for DataStreme ECS
participation.
Access to a facsimile machine for transmitting and receiving materials
between
you and your LIT mentor may be helpful.

Receive resource and reference materials for your
professional library. Discover ways to instill the excitement
of current real-world science events
across the precollege curriculum.

Develop collegial working relationships with
DataStreme ECS, LIT members,
and other course participants.

All participants are enrolled in a 3 semester-hour
graduate course, entitled
ESC 677 Real-Time Climate Studies, through the State University of New
York
College at Brockport. Credit is awarded upon successfully completing
course
requirements the same semester as the course is taken.

What must I do after the DataStreme
ECS course?
The goal of DataStreme ECS is to empower Climate Education Resource
Teachers
with the knowledge and capabilities to transform a virtually endless
stream of
environmental data into exciting and creative learning experiences for
young
people. As an ECS Education Resource Teacher, you will be expected to
introduce
other teachers and administrators in your school, parents, and members
of the
community to the benefits of utilizing electronically-delivered
environmental
data streams as vehicles for learning across the curriculum.

DataStreme ECS expects to develop a long-term working
relationship with
DataStreme ECS course participants. The goal is to upgrade scientific
literacy
by motivating teachers and through them, their students, to develop and
nurture
active interests in science, mathematics, and technology.

If there is no LIT listed near you or in your state,
inquiries may be sent
to find out about joining a LIT outside your area by email to:
amsedu@ametsoc.org. You will be notified of
the status of your
application by
the local LIT leader. Enrollment is limited and selection is based on a
number
of criteria.

NASA and NSF support DataStreme
ECS. The State University of New York at Brockport,
NY awards graduate-level academic credit for DataStreme ECS. The AMS
provides
financial support for the program and encourages its membership to take
part as
LIT members.